The Aesthetics of Transhumanism

Natasha Vita-More, Hplusmagazine

The current socio-political discussion on transhumanism concerns human use of NBIC [1] technologies and sciences to enhance human biology and to radically extend human life. I address this concern by bringing art and design into the discussion.

Artists and designers have been altering the human form — perceptually, conceptually and in actuality — from existing states to envisioned, preferred states. The perception of an ideal human is evident in the construction of statuesque sculptures. The conception of an enhanced human is evident in imagined mechanism in providing electronic senses and robotic extensions. The central issue now is that both the opponent and the advocate of transhumanism realize that the actuality of altering the human form is practicable, that duplicating the mind is probable, and that extending life is feasible.

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See also:

“Transhumanism” by Julian Huxley (1957)